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Multiple-Meaning Words

A multiple-meaning word is spelled and said the same way but means different things: a bat flies at night, and you hit a ball with a bat. Context is the only clue, which is why these words are such good reading practice.

Here are 120 multiple-meaning words from past ClueBy puzzles, each with a real example sentence for every meaning. Use them as a reference, or make a printable worksheet below.

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Students read each sentence and write the missing word. Every word appears in several sentences, each time with a different meaning.

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Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

Write the missing word in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

  1. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  2. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  3. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  4. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  5. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  6. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  7. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  8. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  9. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  10. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  11. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  12. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  13. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  14. The ball is in your ________________.
  15. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  16. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  17. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  18. I can't ________________ this cold.
  19. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  20. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  21. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  22. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  23. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  24. That was ________________ to happen.

Sentences from ClueBy, Tatoeba (CC BY 2.0 FR) and Common Voice (CC0). clueby.com

Answer key

  1. court — of law
  2. fan — a supporter
  3. shower — to wash
  4. stick — to attach or keep to
  5. straw — a straw man
  6. bound — obliged
  7. stick — a piece of wood
  8. shower — a meteor shower
  9. stand — for spectators
  10. fan — to cool the air
  11. stand — on your feet
  12. stick — a piece of wood
  13. court — of a king
  14. court — for sport
  15. straw — dry grass
  16. pound — for dogs
  17. fan — a supporter
  18. stand — to bear
  19. pound — a weight
  20. shower — rain
  21. straw — to clutch at straws
  22. pound — to hit hard
  23. bound — tied together
  24. bound — certain

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

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Frequently asked questions

What are multiple-meaning words?

Words with the same spelling and pronunciation but more than one meaning, like bark (of a dog or of a tree) or bank (for money or of a river). You can only tell which meaning is meant from the rest of the sentence.

Are multiple-meaning words the same as homonyms?

Mostly, yes. Teachers often use "multiple-meaning words" and "homonyms" for the same idea. Homophones are different: they sound alike but are spelled differently, like flour and flower.

Are the worksheets free?

Yes. Make and print as many as you like for home or classroom use. Each sheet has its own link, so you can print the same one again.

Where do the words come from?

From past ClueBy puzzles, a daily game where you sort twelve sentences by their missing word. A new puzzle every day adds four more words to this list.

Sentences from ClueBy, Tatoeba (CC BY 2.0 FR) and Common Voice (CC0). clueby.com